A 2025 U.N. Environment Program assessment found that more than 97% of Gaza’s tree crops had been damaged by May 2025, as Erdogan raised the war’s environmental toll at COP31.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Israel to widen aid access to Gaza in his COP31 address Wednesday, tying the appeal to environmental damage and the condition of the territory's infrastructure.
Speaking at the summit in Antalya, Erdogan used “ecocide” to describe the war and said olive groves and water resources in Gaza had been damaged. He also described extensive destruction in urban areas and said flooding had reached displaced families' shelters.
Israel's Foreign Ministry responded on X, accusing Erdogan of promoting an “anti-Israel campaign of lies” and supporting Hamas. The ministry's post argued that reconstruction depends on Hamas disarming.
The Associated Press reported that recent flooding inundated tents and makeshift shelters. The agency said at least four people died earlier this week when a collapsing sand embankment struck a shelter.
The U.N. Environment Program's 2025 assessment used remote sensing to document land damage by May 2025: 82% of annual crops, 95% of shrubland, 89% of grass and fallow areas, and more than 97% of tree crops were affected.
The AP also cited aid groups saying the war has severely damaged Gaza's systems for trash collection, sewage treatment and clean water, raising health risks for people with inadequate shelter, food and medicine. Ghiwa Nakat, executive director of Greenpeace MENA, told the AP that pollution and damaged environmental infrastructure threaten basic needs and the livelihoods of farmers and fishers. She said ecological recovery in Gaza could take years.
The summit turned to formal negotiations this week. The AP reported that leaders are pursuing agreement on measures to limit global warming.
